


Ever After

by breejah



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Birthday, F/M, Fae Magic, Family Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Happy Ending, Loneliness, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-06 19:25:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17351168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breejah/pseuds/breejah
Summary: In honor of David Bowie's Birthday, here's a one-shot story for all my Jareth lovers.Sarah and Toby have been visiting the Goblin King and his realm for years. Today is Jareth's birthday, but they both seem prone to doing other things besides celebrate. Annoyed and disappointed, Jareth escapes to his throne room, but as it turns out, Sarah has a surprise for him after all.Rated M; Sex and Angst. Standalone freeform -style story.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This turned more melancholy than I expected, but I just allowed myself to write, no holds barred, and this is what it turned into. I wrote this just as an ode to David Bowie himself and the fact we love and miss you.
> 
> Enjoy.

_ First section inspired by the lovely art of iesnoth. _

* * *

 

“Do we seriously have to do this  _ today? _ ” He groused, for at least the fiftieth time that morning. Sarah stared at the walls of his underground Labyrinth tunnels completely unperturbed, simply nodding with a smile. Toby stood off the the side, the young boy of eight barely containing his excitement, even with his arms full with a mop bucket full of soapy, dirty, glitter-suffused water. He sighed, leaning against the mop handle, not wanting to say  _ why  _ he was irritated, but he was.

He’d dropped hints all week and neither of the two Williams mortals had clued into what today was. It just so happened to be the first year they were Underground that coincided with what today was and he had hoped it would mean something special. It was meant to be a joyous day, a day of momentous occasion, of celebration, and they were here - in the bowels of the Underground -  _ cleaning. _

It was his damn birthday and it sucked.

“Can I at least be given a break, precious?” He bit out, not about to let either of them know he was upset because they both didn’t realize it was his birthday. No, he let them think it was because they were clearing out the cobwebs in his oubliettes, something he’d been meaning to do for ages and simply hadn’t. It was bad enough his magic didn’t work down here, not the way it should - the stone too old, his magic too fickle, not worth risking life or limb to test it, only able to summon that contraption the goblins used and even then, these days it wasn’t worth the risk - so that now it had to be hand cleaned in order to meet Sarah’s standards. It rankled and embarrassed him to admit she was right, but still - of all days to be cleaning, it had to be  _ today? _

“Of course,” she commented, turning and taking the mop from him. He tried not to stare and failed, but as usual, Sarah didn’t seem to notice, which left him both relieved and disappointed.  “We’ll be back in a few hours. Go ahead, take the rest of the day off,” she smiled briefly at him in dismissal, then leaned down, whispering something in Toby’s ear, making the child giggle. He hadn’t heard what was said, too busy getting over how her jade eyes had boldly met his. It always left him in awe of the power they held, no other in the Labyrinth kingdom able or willing to stare at him so openly. Even little Toby, now quickly becoming a man, shied away from his stare, but not Sarah. He knew he was old, his people gone except for him, his magic unfettered and strong, but she never shied away. It was one of the reasons he felt so drawn to her, how she could meet his stare unflinchingly with her own.

Watching Toby’s head bob in excitement as the young boy took off, he frowned and wished he had listened to what was exchanged, rather than staring at the one thing he couldn’t have. It embarrassed him, how much she enthralled him, but he never pursued her, unable to damage their relationship should she not feel the same about them. They had been coming off and on to his realm for a few years, when young Toby had discovered her books and summoned her friends through a mirror portal. It had made him curious, so he had appeared, and Sarah had offered him something that day he could never refuse, even if he wasn’t the callous bastard she accused him of being.

_ ‘Leave him untouched, free to roam between this world and the next so long as he doesn’t cause harm, and I will offer myself to you.’  _

_ ‘No,’ _ he’d replied,  _ ‘You and your brother both will visit me, learn my lands, my people, its King. Only then will I allow you to remain unmarked by my world.’ _

He had no idea why he’d offered such an unfair bargain, it wouldn’t benefit him in the least, except a chance to stare at the one creature that had bested him, reminded him of his people that had all long since welcomed the Fade. When she was around, he simply felt less alone and wanted her company. She too sensed the strangeness of his request, staring at him with confusion in her eyes, but had agreed nonetheless. 

Now, years later, he hated that he’d made such an arrangement, but he was bound by his word, which is why he didn’t offer it all that often. He daydreamed about them often, but never openly admitted it, not even when pressed, evasively switching topics whenever his subjects brought up that she would make a fine Queen one day. His Sarah would never be content here, not when she had a mortal existence to go back to. He balked suddenly, inwardly racking his mind - since when had he started to think of her as  _ his _ Sarah? Embarrassed to be left standing beside her, when she was so obviously distracted by whatever she had Toby and the denizens doing - where  _ were  _ all the little nuisances today? - he quickly summoned a crystal and sent himself to his throne, staring out the window with annoyance. 

Hours passed, and there wasn’t a goblin in sight. Since Sarah and Toby were in attendance today, it didn’t surprise him, but his glum mood swelled until he sagged against his throne and fell asleep, dreaming about Sarah, in that iridescent ball gown he’d made her, and her laughing in his arms, staring at him like she had that one day, then leaning forward, allowing him to kiss her.

* * *

“You really are a peach, you know,” the old Wise Man stated, shaking his head slowly, as he shuffled across the ballroom Sarah had discovered months ago, moth eaten curtains, layers of dust, and broken chairs and all. Now, it shined, perfect in every way. “He’d never have done any of this, nor the oubliettes, if you hadn’t pushed for it.”

“Why is that?” She asked, frowning and looking his way. The Wise Man’s eyes drifted to the floor and she turned, feeling the goblin collective that helped her and Toby turn the Labyrinth, and it’s castle, into what it once was, fall silent.

“Reminds him of them, you know,” one goblin piped up suddenly, earning the scowls of the others. He shrugged. “Well, it  _ does. _ No point in lying to her. We were hoping she’d be Queen, weren’t we?”

Sarah blinked, feeling her cheeks heat, hearing that out of the goblin’s mouth. She’s suspected for some time that was why Jareth allowed her to come here, see his world - and him. He was lonely, his creatures devoted if unable to keep up with his intellect, and he wanted others like him to converse with. She had pretended for years not to notice the stares, the odd analysis going on behind those powerful eyes, but hadn’t dared hope they meant what she wondered if they did. He was an immortal prince of Faery, she a simple mortal. It would only bring more sadness to an already lonely man when she died in the mere blink of an eye for someone like him.

“Reminds him of who?” She asked softly, even though she had an idea of what they meant. Toby had slipped back to their realm moments earlier, preparing for sleep, though it still amused her how he hadn’t minded the tasks of cleaning, since it was a Labyrinth in another dimension, with beasts and creatures of whimsy he was doing it with. 

“His family -- People, you know,” offered another goblin, stepping forward and placing his crude iron helmet back on, as he continued to sweep the floors. “They’re all in the fade now. Not here, that is. He didn’t leave, didn’t want to, since he didn’t want us left alone. Didn’t think we had the magic to maintain this place, and we didn’t. So he sacrificed himself, stayed here, with us, even when we can’t really keep his unhappiness at bay, not really, not like you can.”

“How do I keep his unhappiness at bay?” She whispered, settling into a seat, wanting to hear them talk. It was the Wise Man that answered her next, surprising her.

“You remind him of home, of his people, and what he could potentially have.” The old man murmured, patting her hand. The bird hat was strangely quiet, eyeing her ominously. “But you’d have to give it all up, your home, and accept this one completely.”

Sarah laughed, shaking her head. “I’m human, not Fae.”

“But you could be,” the hat finally squawked, making her blink and look up. The bird rolled it’s eyes. “Show her,” he ordered his companion, the Wise Man. Sarah’s eyes drifted back to the Wise Man’s face, watching his mustache twitch as he scowled, but nodded and took Sarah’s hand, leading her into an area of the castle she’d never been in. It was in Jareth’s residential wing, something she never pushed to enter, but it surprised her that it wasn’t his room, but another - feminine, soft, colorful and yet decorated in pale pastels, making her eyes widen as she looked around. She noted a closet, half-open, and the dress she’d worn during her run laid inside, carefully hung up.

“What’s this?” She asked, turning and looking at the Wise Man. He glanced around the room before finally meeting her gaze. 

“This was Isabelle’s room, Jareth’s intended. They were to be married, but she lost her family to the Fade, and couldn’t stand to lose them. She also left. He mourned her, in his own way, but he never really knew her. Others, like his own family, left also.”

Sarah swallowed, feeling shocked at the revelation, and also saddened for him. “So he never changed it? Made the room into something else?”

“He never changed a lot of things here,” the Wise Man said, shuffling to the door. “It hurt too much, I hazard to guess. You should know…” He said, stopping by the door and looking back at her. “Today is the day of his birth.”

“I know, he’s been hinting at such,” she smiled, “Why do you think I have been cleaning so hard all day? Can you tell the others to meet me in the Ballroom in an hour? Bring his Majesty.”

The Wise Man smiled and nodded, closing the door behind her, and she moved around the room, studying the intricacies in detail. Suddenly, something moved by the desk, and she yelped, seeing a small pocket-sized goblin grin and wave a letter, then vanish into the shadows. Wandering closer, she blinked, noting the script, addressed simply ‘ _ To Her.’ _

Swallowing, taking the note to the bed, she sat down and opened it and read.

* * *

_ Sarah stared at him, eyes luminous and full of love. “I want you, Jareth. All of you, everything. You’ll never be alone again.” _

_ Humbled, he held her close, brought her mouth to his, groaning at the taste of her. “Yes, precious. It’s all I’ve ever wanted - just you. All of you. I offer everything I am, knowing it’s not enough, if only you stay here, with me, forev…” _

“Kingy? You dreaming?”

Jareth jolted awake, scrubbing his face, wincing when he realized several goblins were peering up at him, one with his crop, poking him gently in the side.  _ By Danu, this is bloody embarrassing. Did I say anything out loud? _

“Yes, what is it?” He barked testily, covering up his embarrassment with rough words, sitting up and straightening his clothes. “Sarah done with you?”

“She is, Kingy. She’s waiting for you in the ballroom.” One of them supplied, handing him a sealed note. He blinked, scrubbing once more at his face, then gripped the letter handed to him and grabbed ahold of his crop, slowly coming to his feet. “Fine, go.” He snapped, watching them scatter as he peered at the note curiously, tearing it open.

_ Come alone and wear something nice. Happy birthday, by the way. - S _

Swallowing thickly, his heart hammering in his chest, he did as she asked, sweeping a trembling hand over his form and changing into a burgundy velvet ensemble, whisking himself to the ballroom by magic. He closed his eyes as he felt his magic move him, wincing again at the state the ballroom would be in, something he didn’t have the capacity to enter unless it was in a dream state, not unlike what he had sent Sarah into when she was facing his challenge. She’d rocked him to his core, how well she fit amongst what was once his people, now only him, ensconced in his castle, alone without company. 

When he opened his eyes, air left his lungs with a loud painful rush, just as tears crushed his eyelids, threatening to spill over. The room was beautiful, like it had once been with his people, like how it was when he’d dreamscaped it with her in there with him, feeling instinctively that she would have been accepted and revered, if they had been truly been there to meet her. 

“Sarah?” He whispered, turning around, sensing no one in the room. “Are you here?”

“I am,” she whispered, making him whirl, having not heard her come up. She stood there, meeting his gaze with her own, and she was wearing  _ that  _ dress, making something squeeze painfully between his ribs. She was beautiful to him, she always had been, but now - more matured and staring at him like she wanted him - she was ethereal. 

“You...found the room, I take it.” He finally managed to stutter out, staring openly at her, knowing she’d see everything on his face, but not caring. “And you...figured out the day. And cleaned this room. What else have you been doing, precious?”  _ Besides stealing my heart. _

“Reading this,” she murmured, holding up a letter. He blinked, staring at it, then took it from her, feeling her come close, so she could read over his shoulder as he stared down at it, then opened it, recognizing Isabelle’s handwriting. His grip trembled, and he struggled not to groan when Sarah’s hands reached out and covered his own, steadying his grip.

_ To Her, _

_ You must think it odd I am writing Jareth’s next lover, being his own. We were lovers since childhood, discovering one another throughout the years, his kingdom bordering my own. It was just happenstance that we were also meant to be heirs, entered into a marriage contract before we were born. _

_ We were happy, but our home is sick. So is our people. We lack what you might call faith. Danu is changing, leaving herself for the Fade, and many of her people aren’t strong enough to resist living without her presence here. I myself am one of them, though I think Jareth assumes it is because my family is gone.  _

_ Jareth is the strongest of us, and most likely, when you find this letter, the only one of us left. He needs you, what you can offer him, even if it requires you to sacrifice all that you are, from wherever you hail from. If you’re reading this, you’ve found one thing he’s never had the heart to look for. Jareth lives in the past for many things, the testament of this letter being unfound one of them. But you, my strong, loving, tenacious woman, proved able to.  _

_ Please love him. Please be what he needs when I couldn’t. He does need you, even if you can’t see it yet. And if you’re reading this, you love him too and need him as well. Help him love again, bring new life to the Underground and its King, and please remind him we will forever remember him, even if we are no longer there.  _

_ Yours,  _

_ Isabelle _

He didn’t know what to say, ashamed he’d never had the heart to look in her rooms, especially after he’d dressed her in one of her gowns, that was to be her gowns when she became Queen. “Sarah…” He struggled, shaking his head, turning to see her staring at him again, a faint smile on her face.

“I know,” she whispered, leaning forward and doing the unspeakable - kissing him. He was too afraid to move, standing there, and it was when she tilted up against him, curling her arms around his shoulders, did he give in.

Dropping the note, crushing her to him, he kissed her with everything he felt. His loneliness, his love for her, his lust - all swelled and crashed inside him, allowing him to hungrily plunder her mouth, testing her resistance, shocking him further when she had none. When his arms reached for her, curling around her waist and testing the buttons of her gown, she simply moaned.

“I want you,” she whispered for him, when he pulled back, and he didn’t ask again, slamming down his magic and taking them to his quarters, tugging her dress off along with his own clothing with small bolts of magic, until he had her backed up against the bed - bodies pressed tightly together, his arousal grinding against the warm flat planes of her stomach.

“I want this, but so much more,” he hoarsely muttered, dropping his mouth to her jawline, his fingers dropping, grasping at her breasts, eliciting a moan from her. He shuddered at the sound, drawing lower, slipping past the warm wet folds of her sex, delving into the slick arousal he was humbled to find. “I want you here, with me, forever.”

“Yes,” she moaned, and he couldn’t help it if he tried - casting a spell through her body that had her arching up against him with a scream. He felt it then, inside himself, stealing part of his essence to mend her own, change her into one of him, and he fell with her into the bed, gently pulling her legs apart. She quickly did as he asked, moaning when he positioned himself, and pulling her head up to stare into his eyes when he thrust forward, joining them.

“You feel-- _ so good _ ,” he gasped, moving slow, but unable to help that his pace picked up almost immediately, until he was slamming inside her. “I should stop, before I--it could lead to--”

“No,  _ in me _ ,” she whispered, cupping his jaw, licking his lower lip and biting down, making him shudder as he kept moving. “ _ In me _ , Jareth. Whatever happens, I want it.  _ Please _ .”

He groaned harshly, then positioned himself and moved -  _ hard.  _ Logic no longer ruled him while he took her with her permission, in any way that he wanted, and when his crisis was upon him, she tumbled with him. He latched onto it, extended it, even as he convulsed and spilled inside her.

“ _Again_ ,” he snarled, knowing her new form could take it. She let him, holding onto him, and he took her until neither of them could move, laying boneless beside each other, still joined, until he felt, for the first time in forever, no longer alone.

“This,” he finally whispered to her, hours later, as he stroked her spine, feeling her turn to look at him with a smile, “was the best birthday I’ve had in memory. Thank you for loving me enough to give up everything.”

“That’s just it, Jareth,” she whispered back, kissing his cheek, “Because I love you, I gave up nothing.”

Together, they fell asleep, and for the first time in forever, he wasn't alone or sad and looked forward to the next day and the joys it would bring.  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone posted this INSANELY ADORABLE artwork in a Laby group I am in and I had to add an epilogue to this just for this prompt inspiration it gave me. Enjoy!

_'Look Daddy' Photo prompt art by kiarajareth._

* * *

  **Epilogue**

* * *

 

Jareth leaned back in his seat, staring out over the gardens Sarah had started the first year of their marriage and mating, now finally coming into fruition as a sight unlike anything the Labyrinth or its denizens had beheld before. It was beautiful, like her, and he smiled fondly, pleased to see one of her projects finally completed and full of what the realm had been missing for centuries -  _hope for the future_ , a  _promise of tomorrow, a love that would never die._

"Daddy, look!" He heard an excited squeal to his side. He blinked out of his reverie, looking down and over the edge of his shoulder, watching Sarah wander up with a faint smile, a little boy that resembled him so much in all but his eyes - those belonging to his beloved, a bright jade full of wonder and delight - and what he held in his palm.

Kneeling down, he smiled, raising his own fingertips to trace what his son had conjured - a perfectly formed crystal.

"Well, look at this," he drawled, impressed at his son's aptness for spellcasting at such a young age. Beside him, he felt Sarah's hand trace his shoulders, then her own rounding stomach, still blooming with their next child to join his son. He secretly hoped for a girl with sable hair and a pair of mismatched blue eyes, a trait his family had been known for before. "That's a magnificent crystal, Tobias."

They'd named him for the brother Sarah had lost a century ago, to old age and happiness at living a mortal life, and he was still surprised at how happy Sarah was when they talked about him to their son, who's name and legacy he carried on now, when his own reflections of his long-lost people still ached him. Sarah, though, in her wisdom, showed him how to focus on only the memories that didn't bring pain, and he was determined to teach his son about them, re-fostering what it meant to be one of his people, so that the Underground would continue to thrive, as it had since Sarah had joined him.

He had been ashamed to have not noticed the fade encroaching on even his own land. The borders outside the Labyrinth were merely endless fog, telling him what had been there before - neighboring kingdoms, vast lands filled with their own sweeping fantastical tales - were gone now. Since Sarah had joined him, though, the fog had begun to part, revealing what was once before, even if empty of life outside of landscapes and shapes of what was before. She reminded him, each night before bed, as he held her in his arms, that it would come back in it's own time, when the land and everyone was ready. _'For an immortal creature, Jareth, you really have very little patience,'_ she'd scolded him, earning her his first unencumbered laugh in a millennia.

"You like it, daddy?" His son asked, eyes wide, staring at him with a reverence only children reserve for their parents when they're young and unspoiled by the world just yet. He smiled, cupping his son's cheek, then nodded. 

"Of course I am, son. Shall we let it go? Let it venture to the mortal realm, show them what wishes can be made of?" He murmured, watching the boy jump up and down eagerly. It was something his people did long ago, to foster a kinship between their realm and his, sparking life and magic, and he had long since shown Sarah how to do it, but not his son. Now, it seemed, it was time. 

"Yes!" He cried, happy to please his father, and Jareth laughed again, his heart so full it hurt to think on it. He knelt, watching Sarah stare with a smile, and showed his son how to spin it then cast it towards the stars - stars that looked very different today, now that their son knew another secret to what it was to be Fae.

Just like that - it was off, floating towards the moon, then blinked out, like a star, shooting across the sky, towards the mortal world. "Now what, daddy?" His son asked. He raised his brows, looking to his wife and mate - his Queen - and Sarah smiled.

She answered for him. "Now we wait and see what happens," she murmured, opening her arms for her son, who wriggled onto her lap. Jareth sat back on his heels, staring at the perfection that they were to him, then soon joined them when both of them looked his way.

Kissing Sarah's cheek, cupping both her belly and his son's shoulder, they all leaned back and stared up at the sky.

"I don't know where it's going, son, but I promise you this - it won't be boring," he grinned, feeling Sarah's head come to rest on his shoulder. 

Together, they stared at the stars, and waited.

**Author's Note:**

> We miss you, Starman.


End file.
